Author: Tamazi Donauri

Wars are fought in many ways. In trenches, behind the wheel of tank, at the trigger of an artillery piece, in the rear supporting the troops. But the war in the Ukraine also fights with guile and disguise, deceit, surprise and humor. No intelligence, cold warriors, or secrecy but the unmistaken conviction of bringing the fight to the Russian regime. The team is led by a quirky former academic, a housewife, a gifted arty-farty guy, an editor, some journalists and a few volunteers. There is a cat-lady, a Thor of thunder, a bunch of nerds working out the quirks, and…

The cybersecurity agencies of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance (the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada and New Zealand) issued a warning on Tuesday that hackers were increasingly exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities to access their targets’ networks. It marks a significant departure from similar advisories issued in 2022 and 2021, when the agencies warned that malicious cyber actors were exploiting older software vulnerabilities more frequently than recently disclosed ones. In a co-authored advisory, the agencies list the top 15 most routinely exploited vulnerabilities of 2023, with CVE-2023-3519 — an issue affecting Citrix’s networking product NetScalers — being the most widely used. Reports around the time…

Washington 9 November (30). Whatever feelings about Trump, and you’re not alone in your view that he’s been a polarizing figure. Whether people support or oppose him, there’s no denying that he’s left a lasting imprint on American politics, often evoking comparisons to historical figures like Hitler but more like Mussolini, sometimes for his strongman persona and authoritarian rhetoric, rather than direct parallels to Hitler. This is a leftist narrative. From a policy standpoint, many critics, argue that Trump’s approach has often seemed shallow or reactionary, with an emphasis on rhetoric over substantive, long-term solutions. His style, which can be…

Kiev 1 November 2024. The Ukranian army eliminated a troop concentration of newly arrived North Koreans on the battlefield. About 40 soldiers were killed in an exchange with only one survivor. A heavily bandages survivor spoke in North Korean recorded on social media. Despite anti-Ukranian western media the captured North Korean commented on the success of the Ukranians defeating the Russian army on the battlefield. The freshly arrived North Koreans planned to be embedded woth Russian troops faced the brunt of Ukranian artillery and mortar fire killing forty. The Ukranian president Zelensky commented that North Koreans will be killed should…

Russian officials allege that Ukraine is gearing up for a chemical weapons attack, with backing from the US-led NATO military alliance. Meanwhile, the UK has imposed sanctions on Russian military units for their involvement in chemical warfare in Ukraine. This development has raised international concerns about the possibility of chemical terrorism in the region. Russian officials claim that Ukraine is preparing for a chemical weapons attack with active support from NATO. The Russian Embassy in Washington has called on the United States to cease backing what they term Kyiv’s “provocations” and to evaluate the risks of potential Ukrainian “chemical terrorism.”…

Chinese nationals serving as “mercenaries” have been killed on the front lines in Ukraine, according to a social media group focused on honoring fallen Russian soldiers. Thousands of foreigners have fought for Russia since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but no solid evidence has emerged that Chinese nationals are among them. “The Ukrainian Armed Forces have killed two Chinese mercenaries according to Russian channels,” an X (formerly Twitter) account called PS01△ said on Wednesday. Below the tweet, the netizen shared a post from the Telegram channel for a pro-war volunteer group known as ZOVNovoshakhtinsk. The post included a statement on…

After Tajiks were charged with a deadly attack in Moscow, the country has cracked down on signs of Islam. But experts say it’s not addressing the causes of terrorism. People in Tajikistan were expecting a government crackdown after Tajik men were arrested and charged with a terrorist attack on a Moscow concert hall in March. But it still seemed excessive to Nilufar, a 27-year-old education professional, when she saw local authorities with scissors outside a K.F.C. in Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital, trimming beards that were deemed too long. Excessive, but not so surprising. In the span of a month, Nilufar herself…

For many years, Tajikistan has been gravely affected by drug trafficking. At least 15-20 tons of opium and between 75 and 80 metric tons of heroin are smuggled into the country each year from Afghanistan either for local consumption or for transfer to Russia and Europe. Despite an official Tajik government policy to fight illicit drug trafficking in cooperation with foreign governments and international organizations, trafficking continues to increase. The volume of drug transit through Tajikistan is now equivalent to 30 percent of the country’s GDP. So far, the success of domestic Tajik policies and international assistance has been minimal. Trafficking is a product of numerous complex…

Moscow (11 September/ 33.33). Russia waged a 2-year war of aggression against its neighbor, the Ukraine. Two years on, hundred thousand of deaths, families destroyed, Russia is no where near its 3-day goals of occupation. The Russian army slugs on, mile for mile, killed for killed. Vladimir Putin and his Siloviki continues a red army model. Heavy artillery, wave of men urging forward. The result, mass casualties. Total loss of life, and equipment. What does Russians do if in trouble. Reversing to its all bag of tricks. Spies and sabotage. Recent Russian sabotage operations across Europe were “reckless”, Moore said,…

Women’s clothes are high on the government’s agenda once again in Tajikistan, where authorities and Islamic leaders are working on new guidelines on what women should wear to work and during their leisure time. The new dress code — the second of its kind in six years — is expected to be made public in the coming days, and a special event is reportedly being planned for the capital, Dushanbe, in August to showcase compliant clothes. Sulaimon Davlatzoda, the head of the state Committee for Religious Affairs and the Regulation of Traditions, told a press briefing in the capital this week that…